Lisa is her name and she is beautiful.

Youthful curiosity draws her into the alleys beyond the boardwalk as dusk slowly settles over Los Angeles. Or perhaps it’s escapism from the mundane that pushes her forward. She sees the book laying on her path, but playfully sidesteps it as she is not out to indulge in other people’s adventures. Tonight she is living her own story.

 

Pick up the book called ‘Whispers’

With the bright lights from Pico Boulevard long left behind, a sense of excitement occupies her. What would her first drink be? Would she meet someone famous? Will he finally kiss her? Questions befitting for a young adolescent. Questions that keep her from noticing the shadows tailing hers.

Brandon is his name, Harry is his and they are scum.

The city of angels with it’s warm embrace and happening scene draws in many different people, from the moviestar to the hobo and those in between. It’s a city with opportunities for all, but it’s people like John and Leonard that chase the wrong ones and with that devalue the beauty of the city for people like Lisa.

“Hello luv’.” Sounds the drunken voice to her left. As she turns in his direction, the other grabs her from behind and pulls her into the adjacent alley. The future of the youthful is grim with bastards like this around. A tear slides down her cheek as she feels their hands roughly sliding over her clothes.

“How about you leave the girl alone?” Sounds the trembling voice.

Daryll is his name. And he is homeless.

As the two men turn around angrily Daryll realises that today luck will remain absent in his life. He manages to block the first strike with the bag of clothes he was holding, but almost at the same time a boot hit him hard and swept him off his feet. Under the sound of their curses and the power of their fists life is slowly saying goodbye to Daryll. In his already blurred vision he sees the girl sprinting off. The ground feels cold. The blood in his mouth tastes like metal. And the men just keep beating him. Senselessly.

With tears in her eyes she pushes open the double doors at the top of the stairs. She had imagined her first time at Penny’s to be different, more joyful. Her boyfriend was waiting for her and she falls in his arms - him wondering why she cries. Those standing close by turn around and the chatter subdues. Noticing this, Penny nodded towards Jag to cover for her at the bar. As the latter reaches for the rum to serve his first drinks of the night, Penny takes Lisa and her boyfriend into a backroom.

“Can you tell me what happened?” She says as she pours the girl some water. Through tears and with a hoarse voice Lisa tells about how the outlook to a fun time out turned into a nightmare. The boyfriend cursed and stood up, but was ushered down again by Penny.

“You stay here with your girl.” She says. “I will look into this.”

Back at the bar, she whispered to Jag what went down and told him the descriptions the girl had given. With the force that Penny used to slice up a lemon, Jag knew he didn’t need to ask what had to happen. He threw his bartowel in the corner and found his way to the back-exit while nodding to a few men sitting at a table. They followed promptly.

“Penny is mad.” Jag told the men once outside in the alleys. “A girl got attacked by two men not far from here. From what she told us about how they looked it sounded like Brandon Talmadge and Harry van Hoose.”

“Those idiots?” One of the men asked.

“So it seems. Their drunken behaviour has always been a pain, but tonight they crossed a line and Penny doesn’t want to hear from them again. Go find ‘em.”

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